Israeli Halvah

Some people love Halvah and some people hate it. It often falls along Sephardic vs. Ashkenazi lines but there are exceptions. I love Halvah, especially with chocolate. As a kid growing up in Woodland Hills, California, the local Vons Supermarket always had the packaged Joya brand Halvah which my family would enjoy on a regular basic, especially the long chocolate covered bars two-pack. When I visited Israel, the selection of Halvah was much better than in the US. The most impressive selection was in the Shuk in Jerusalem, where giant cake size Halvahs were available by the slice in a plethora of flavors and toppings.
– Jon Varsano

• Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups sugar
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup water
  • 16 oz of tahini

• Directions

  1. Prepare a container for halvah (Tupperware, cake pan, etc), and line with neutral oil or parchment paper
  2. Stir in optional ingredients (Nuts, Fruit or Chocolate) under Varsano Variations
  3. Whisk in 16 oz of tahini. An electric mixer is preferred but a hand whisk will suffice.
  4.  Add remaining optional seasoning.
  5. Pour and scrape out warm havlah into prepared container
  6. Cool in refrigerator for 36 hours, uncovered. May add cover after initial cooling and setting period.

• Varsano Variations

  • Add ½ tsp cinnamon and 1 ½ tsp vanilla,
  • Add chocolate chunks or chocolate ganache
  • Add chocolate chips and dehydrated strawberries
  • Add roasted or chocolate-covered almonds
  • Add pistachios
  • Do add all of these. Add flavor combinations to your tastes.